While Swiggy remained loss-making according to its last financial statement, it achieved profitability in its core food delivery business on the back of measures such as<\/span> the introduction of a platform fee.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n In addition, the company also increased its focus on growth avenues such as Dineout and other revenue streams, to further solidify its position. Though Swiggy paused experimenting with new verticals before its IPO, the company has resumed diversifying after its listing.<\/span><\/p>\n In December 2024, the company expanded its Dineout vertical by introducing Swiggy Scenes, a new feature enabling users to book parties, events, and live music experiences at partner restaurants. This move also underpinned Swiggy\u2019s intent to not only deliver convenience but also curate experiences, further strengthening its position as a comprehensive lifestyle platform.<\/span><\/p>\n However, what\u2019s interesting is that <\/span>Swiggy Scenes took shape<\/span><\/a> after Zomato announced the launch of <\/span>District<\/span><\/a>, a dedicated app for the \u2018going-out\u2019 business, in July. The <\/span>app was finally launched in November <\/span><\/a>last year after <\/span>Zomato completed the acquisition of Paytm Insider <\/span><\/a>in August.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While Zomato launched District as a separate app, Scenes is currently available on the main Swiggy platform and is only limited to a few locations, including Bengaluru and Delhi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Notably, Zomato’s District app allows users to book tickets and make reservations for dining, movies, sports, and live performances, Swiggy Scenes is right now only available for booking tickets for comedy shows, live music and events at Swiggy partner restaurants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This raises many questions \u2014 Why has the company launched a feature when it still feels like a work in progress? Is Swiggy Scenes the byproduct of any kind of FOMO? And finally, how does Swiggy plan to capitalise on and scale this offering?<\/span><\/p>\n Speaking with Inc42, an analyst at a stock broking firm said that one of the simplest reasons for the rushed launch of Scenes could be to keep pace with Zomato.<\/p>\n According to the analyst, Swiggy is already under pressure from its competitors in other verticals and cannot afford to lose ground in yet another segment. From a market capitalisation and profitability perspective, Swiggy significantly lags behind Zomato, making this move even more desperate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not clear what Swiggy\u2019s strategy is for Scenes. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a competitor to the District app at this point. Zomato\u2019s District is a fairly evolved business, especially after acquiring Insider, considering the number of events listed, the cities covered, and the types and scale of events featured. The difference is like chalk and cheese,\u201d Shreyas Srinivasan, the former chief product officer of Paytm and founder of Insider.in said.<\/p>\n She added that how Swiggy is functioning right now feels like it is trying to protect itself from Zomato\u2019s growing influence. \u201cHowever, the company will have to do more than just showcase to its customers that it is on par with Zomato. For them to compete, they\u2019ll need to expand their scope to include concerts, comedy shows, and more,\u201d Srinivasan, who quit Paytm last year, said.<\/p>\n Echoing the sentiment, Nishant Kini, the founder of Bengaluru-based branding and events agency The Nish\u00e9 & Co, said that Swiggy’s entry into the events segment has only been prompted by its rival Zomato but the loss-making Swiggy has played it smartly by avoiding the acquisition route, staying clear of any kind of additional strain on its cash flow.<\/p>\n While industry experts are not quite confident about Swiggy making any dent of sorts in the short term with Scenes, they have also not denied its capability to create new opportunities in the segment, despite it being late to the party.<\/p>\n However, at a time when many experts see Swiggy getting innovative with pricing, striking lucrative partnership deals and entering unclaimed zones, Srinivasan does not see much room for expansion.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the \u201cgoing-out\u201d segment, BookMyShow initially spearheaded it, focussing primarily on movies, followed by events. Paytm followed a similar approach by offering movies and events, directly competing with BookMyShow. Zomato expanded this concept with Dineout, bundling dining, movies, and events into a single offering, as they viewed dining as a significant category,\u201d he said, adding that it\u2019s hard to identify a category that Swiggy can leverage to fundamentally alter the \u201cgoing-out\u201d experience<\/p>\n However, he said, there still lie opportunities in creating a highly innovative membership programme, offering better access and competitive pricing \u2014 something Zomato hasn\u2019t yet integrated across its offerings. Zomato\u2019s apps for dining, movies, and events operate independently, with separate reward cycles and memberships.<\/p>\n According to Kini, Swiggy\u2019s strength also lies in its loyal customer base, which would give it a significant advantage as it expands into the events space. While BookMyShow is an established player, there are several smaller event listing platforms that Swiggy could effectively compete with.<\/p>\n Swiggy\u2019s strength lies in its rich database of existing customers and its ability to seamlessly integrate new offerings into its platform. This will help Swiggy tap into its existing user base and offer a unified experience, positioning itself as a convenient and comprehensive lifestyle platform.<\/p>\n For instance, when users log in to order food on Swiggy, a well-timed pop-up or notification about exclusive events and ticket sales could immediately capture attention, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cBesides, Swiggy already has an established presence across A, B, and C-category towns in India. This presents a unique opportunity for curating events tailored to these segments. In A-category cities, events and live performances are already thriving, while B-category cities are seeing growth but primarily on a smaller scale compared to A-level cities. The potential for growth in C-category towns\u2014neither fully urban nor rural\u2014is significant,\u201d Kini said.<\/p>\n If Swiggy can penetrate these areas effectively, it could unlock a wealth of opportunities in the events segment. To capitalise on this, Swiggy will have to focus more on expanding its offerings in B and C-category towns, where untapped demands await.<\/p>\n While it is difficult to foresee how Swiggy Scenes will shape up going ahead, what\u2019s definite is that the company will require a significant investment in its pursuance to fully establish itself in the realm of entertainment and \u201cgoing-out\u201d segments.<\/p>\n In addition, the company will have to spend time and resources to build a hefty pipeline of exclusive event rights as events and movies are often exclusive, unlike restaurants that can list across multiple platforms.<\/p>\n \u201cMost major events are listed on just one platform, and large movie chains like PVR often have contracts with only one or two providers. Building a robust supply chain in this sector takes significant time and effort, which is likely why Zomato opted for an acquisition strategy over building from scratch,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n However, the only grace is that customer acquisition cost is lower in this segment. The advantage of a category with exclusive supply is that the supply itself drives traffic. For instance, if someone wants to watch a specific show, they will go to whichever platform offers the tickets, regardless of whether it\u2019s Zomato, Swiggy, or another competitor. In such cases, the priority isn\u2019t about generating traffic first but about securing the supply, the former Paytm COO said.<\/p>\n All in all, Swiggy is currently on a diversification drive, and it is trying to achieve profitability by adding more revenue streams. Earlier this month, it entered the services marketplace with the launch of a new app, Pyng Professional, and introduced SNACC<\/a>, an app focussed on delivering food within 15 minutes.<\/p>\nA Move To Protect Itself Against Zomato?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inc42.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75\/https:\/\/asset.inc42.com\/2025\/01\/Swiggy-Scenes-G1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSwiggy Needs To Play To Its Core Strengths<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s Next For Swiggy?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/inc42.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75\/https:\/\/asset.inc42.com\/2025\/01\/Swiggy-Scenes-G2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n